CEYLON BIBLE SOCIETY

1. This Law may be cited as the General Council of the Ceylon Bible Society (Incorporation) Law.

Incorporation of the General Council of the Ceylon Bible Society.

2. From and after the date of commencement of this Law, such and so many persons as are now members of the General Committee of the Ceylon Bible Society established at Colombo (hereinafter referred to as the ” Society”) and their successors in office shall be and become a Corporation with perpetual succession, under the name of ” The General Council of the Ceylon Bible Society ” (hereinafter referred to as “the Corporation”), and by that name may sue and be sued in all Courts, and shall have full power and authority to have and to use a common seal and to change and alter the same at its will and pleasure.

(a) to encourage the wider circulation and use of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament (hereinafter referred to as ” the Holy Scriptures “) or any pan or parts thereof;

(b) to translate into Sinhala, Tamil or any other language or dialect and print, publish and circulate the Holy Scriptures or any part or parts thereof; and

(c) to co-operate with any other society or person for the purpose of circulating the Holy Scriptures and to make pecuniary grants and give such aid (pecuniary or otherwise) on such terms and to such societies persons as the Corporation shall think fit for the purpose of assisting in furthering the circulation and use of the Holy Scriptures.

(a) to solicit and receive subscriptions and gifts of all kinds whether absolute or conditional for the purposes of the Corporation;

(b) to borrow or raise money with or without security, for the purposes of the Corporation;

(c) to invest the moneys of the Corporation or any moneys entrusted to it in such investments (including mortgages of immovable property) and in such manner as may from time to time be determined by the Corporation;

(e) to construct, alter and maintain any buildings required for the purposes Of the Corporation or for housing the staff of the Corporation;

(f) to draw, make, accept, endorse and deal with bills of exchange, promissory notes and other negotiable instruments;

(g) to appoint and dismiss or terminate the services of all such officers and servants of the Corporation as it may deem necessary and to pay them such salaries, pensions, gratuities and allowances as may from time to time be determined by the Corporation;

(h) to establish or contribute to any charitable or benevolent fund which is calculated, directly or indirectly, to promote any of the objects of the Corporation or to establish or contribute to any fund or scheme for the grant of allowances, gratuities, pensions, or other benefits to officers or servants, past or present, of the Corporation or to the relatives or dependants of such persons;

(i) to provide from time to time for the management of the affairs of the Corporation outside Sri Lanka in such manner as the Corporation deems fit and in particular to appoint any person or persons to be the attorney or agent of the Corporation for such purpose and upon such terms as may be thought fit;

(j) to enter into any contract with any person, society or body of persons, whether corporate or unincorporate, or any Government department or local authority, for promoting the objects of the Corporation;

(k) to accept and carry out any condition or trust subject to which any property is given to the Corporation for the furtherance of its objects;

(l) to undertake and execute any charitable trust which may seem directly or indirectly conducive to or calculated to facilitate the carrying out of any of the objects of the Corporation;

(m) to do all things necessary or expedient for the proper and effective carrying out of the objects of the Corporation.

Sums payable by or to the Society to be paid by or to the Corporation.

5. All debts and liabilities of the Society existing at the time of the coming into operation of this Law shall be paid and discharged by the Corporation, and all to the debts, subscriptions and contributions due to or payable to the Society shall be paid to the Corporation.

Application of income and property of the corporation.

6. The income and property of the Corporation shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the Corporation and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise or by way of a transfer of property to the members of the Corporation:

Provided, however, that nothing in the preceding provisions of this section shall prevent-

(a) the payment in good faith of remuneration to any officer or servant or member of the Corporation for services rendered to the Corporation, or the payment of pensions or other benefits to any officer or servant of the Corporation on retirement;

(b) the payment of interest at a rate not exceeding that which may from time to time be prescribed by rules made by the Corporation on moneys borrowed from any member;

(c) the payment of any grant by the Corporation to any member for any services done or rendered for the Corporation in promoting its objects;

(d) the payment to any member, being the donor of any money or securities to the Corporation, or to his or her nominee or nominees during any period not exceeding the lifetime of the donor or such nominee or nominees, either of the actual interest derived from such gift or from the investments representing the same or of any annuity by way of annual interest on the amount of such gift at such rate as may be fixed by the Corporation; and

(e) the repayment of expenses incurred by any member, officer or servant of the Corporation in the performance or discharge of his functions or duties or in promoting the objects of the Corporation.

Members of the corporation not personally liable.

7. No member of the Corporation shall be personally liable for the debts, liabilities or obligations of the Corporation.

Affairs of the Corporation to be managed by the members of the General Council.

(1) The affairs of the Corporation shall be administered by the members of the General Council of the Corporation consisting of such persons as may be elected according to the rules of the Corporation.

(2) The members of the General Committee of the Ceylon Bible Society holding office on the date of commencement of this Law shall constitute the members of the first General Council of the Corporation.

(1) It shall be lawful for the Corporation, from time to time, at any general meeting and by the votes of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting, to make rules, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Law, for the admission, withdrawal, retirement or expulsion of members, and for the management of the affairs of the corporation and the accomplishment of its objects. Such rules when made may, at a like meeting and in like manner, be altered, added to, amended or rescinded.

(2) The rules of the Society in force on the date of commencement of this Law shall be deemed to be rules of the Corporation made under this section and may be altered, added to, amended, rescinded or replaced by rules made under this Law.

(3) The members of the Corporation shall be subject to the rules of the Corporation.

Seal of the Corporation.

10. The seal of the Corporation may be altered at the pleasure of the It Corporation. shall not be affixed to any instrument whatsoever except in the presence of two members administering the affairs of the Corporation who have been duly authorized for the purpose under the rules of the Corporation, Such members shall sign their names to the instrument in token of their presence and such signing shall be independent of the signing of any person as a witness.

Saving of the rights of the Republic and others.

11. Nothing in this Law contained shall prejudice or affect the rights of the Republic, or of any body politic or corporate, or of any other persons, except such as are mentioned in this Law and those claiming by, from, or under them.